Sankardev Teachings

The real giant of Assamese Vaishnava literature is Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449–1568). He founded the Eka-sharana Nama Dharma, ‘the religion of complete surrender to the One’, a new order that preached devotion to a single God, Sri Krishna. Here are the main teachings of Sankardev –

1. Brahman is the supreme Truth.
2. Brahman and Ishvara, God, are the same.
3. Brahman or Ishvara is in every being.
4. Ishvara and his Creation are not different.
5. Jiva, creature, is a component of God. The former constitutes the body of the latter.
6. Creation is temporary but not exactly unreal, as it is a projection of God. So it cannot be ignored.
7. Maya is an act of God and its influence can be avoided by the grace of God.
8. One becomes godly as one realizes the identity of God and the five elements.